Perceived stress is associated with CD4+ cell decline in men and women living with HIV/AIDS in Spain

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E Remor1, F J Penedo, B-J Shen

  • 1Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. eduardo.remor@uam.es

AIDS Care
|March 17, 2007
PubMed

Insights

High perceived stress is linked to lower CD4+ cell counts in people with HIV-1. This association persists even when considering other factors like age, gender, and treatment status.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Psychoneuroimmunology
  • HIV/AIDS Research

Background:

  • HIV-1 infection impacts the immune system, specifically CD4+ T-cells.
  • Psychosocial factors may influence disease progression in individuals living with HIV/AIDS.
  • Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is crucial for managing HIV-1, but immune health can still be affected by stress.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between perceived stress and CD4+ cell count decline over six months in individuals with HIV-1.
  • To determine if perceived stress independently predicts changes in CD4+ cell counts.
  • To explore the relationship between psychological well-being and immune status in patients on ART.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 100 participants (59 men, 41 women) living with HIV-1 were assessed.
  • Perceived stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).
  • Hierarchical regression analysis controlled for sociodemographic and disease-related variables.

Main Results:

  • Perceived stress was significantly associated with a decline in CD4+ cell counts over the six-month study period.
  • This association remained significant after controlling for age, gender, education, income, ART duration, ART adherence, and viral load.
  • Psychosocial stress demonstrated an independent relationship with immune status decline.

Conclusions:

  • Perceived psychosocial stress is an independent predictor of CD4+ cell count decline in individuals with HIV-1 on antiretroviral medication.
  • Managing psychological stress may be important for maintaining immune function in the context of HIV/AIDS.
  • Further research into stress-reduction interventions for HIV-1 patients is warranted.

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